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Following a day of intense heat, amidst year-end festivities, over 38,000 users in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area remained without power, according to data from the National Electricity Regulatory Entity (ENRE).
Reports of outages from Edesur and Edenor customers surged in the days leading up to, and culminating with, New Year’s Day.
Over 50,000 families started 2022 in darkness, with frustration and exasperation evident across social media platforms, where many recounted their struggles.
Several accounts highlighted the hardship faced by senior citizens during the outages. One Twitter user shared images of his 88-year-old mother navigating eight flights of stairs during the New Year’s celebrations.
By 1:30 p.m., the ENRE reported 38,542 customers without service; over 2,537 within Edenor’s service area and 36,005 served by Edesur.
In the Capital Federal, Edenor’s network saw the most significant outages in Recoleta and Palermo. Suburban outages on the same network were concentrated in La Matanza, Merlo, and Pilar.
Edesur’s service area, in the city, experienced the most disruptions in Caballito, Liniers, and Mataderos. In the surrounding province, Ezeiza, Cañuelas, and Presidente Perón reported the highest number of complaints.
Edesur issued a public apology for the service interruptions late afternoon yesterday, assuring that crews were diligently working to restore power.
The utility attributed the widespread outages to exceptionally high energy demand due to the extreme heat.
Edesur explained that the recent heatwave, with highs nearing 38°C and nighttime lows around 30°C, created significant strain on the electrical grid. A nationwide consumption record was set on Wednesday, according to CAMMESA, with demand reaching 27,088 MW, exceeding the system’s capacity.
Edesur further clarified that the most extensive interruptions within their network affected certain Federal Capital neighborhoods due to the underground infrastructure in those areas, making
